


The House of Cats

by Thrasirshall



Series: The ShinRa One Shots. [5]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Cats, Crisis Core Era, Gen, Humour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 20:09:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11676204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thrasirshall/pseuds/Thrasirshall
Summary: Reeve is at the end of his tether when a then teenage Sephiroth comes in with yet another stray rescued from the lab.





	The House of Cats

**Author's Note:**

> Timelines/ages/etc are glossed over, so don't think about it too hard.

“I can’t take another one, I’m sorry. I’m… it’s gotten a little bit out of hand.”

“Oh…”

Reeve winced when he was given the saddest eyes he’d ever encountered before they looked to the floor.  _How_ could such a skilled warrior be so childlike?  
The young engineer had just come back from a board meeting – and an immensely pissed off Hojo in the Boardroom was a very unpleasant thing to deal with. Even if you weren’t exactly the cause of his anger, you felt like you were every bit a part of the plan.  
Maybe the creepy old coot just _knew_ something -

“Look, Sephiroth…” Reeve pinched the bridge of his nose.

Sephiroth’s eyes rose to him, and the striped kitten he was holding - no more than seven or eight weeks old, meowed pitifully. Reeve inhaled, and tried so hard not to be taken in by two pairs of pleading feline gazes.   
Reeve had taken in seven cats. _Seven_. Not including the ones he’d somehow managed to convince a dozen interns to adopt. Hell, even a Turk took one!  
But every time Reeve heard a knock on his door, he’d inwardly fret at the thought of a certain silver-haired teenager and a creature scuffling in his jumper.

All because he’d gotten into an elevator one day with Sephiroth, and something had meowed.   
Sephiroth's own attempted meow just made things even weirder. 

“It’s… getting a bit hard trying to get them all adopted,” Reeve explained gently, and couldn’t resist stroking the tabby’s head, “And I don’t want them to suffer anymore then you do, honest.”

“I believe you.” Sephiroth replied, smiling a little as the cat started to nose Reeve’s hand, delighted at the attention.

There was nothing but the sound of purring for several moments until Reeve’s resolve cracked a little. If he told Sephiroth to leave, he would, and the silver haired boy wouldn’t hold it against him. But then paranoia would emerge to find Sephiroth still _hiding_ the animal in his jumper or in his room until he was certain someone would adopt and love the animal.  
He just seemed like that kind of… of… kid.

“… look, maybe I can…” Reeve’s head fell in defeat, “…find someone.”

Sephiroth’s face lit up, and daresay he almost grinned. Reeve went to his chair and promptly collapsed into it.

“Why do you make me do these things, Sephiroth?”

The teenager shrugged lightly, that small rare smile still on his face as he put the cat on the desk. It nosed about the papers before attacking a pencil.

Then Reeve leaned forward, looking at Sephiroth sincerely, “I know you mean well, but…you can’t save all of the animals in the lab.”

“I know.” Came the quiet reply, “And I know animals are experimented on for the purpose of curing diseases, but, _they_ just...” he stopped the cat from jumping off the desk, gloved hands blocking their way, “… suffer.”

Reeve knew very little about Sephiroth outside of what ShinRa had published about him. He was smaller, and _younger_  than what was stated. Despite his incredible and dangerous power as a Soldier, Reeve’s own experience with Sephiroth was that of a very quiet teenager who was trying in little ways to do what _he_ felt was right.

Even if it was smuggling animals out of the lab in his uniform.

When Sephiroth left, Reeve sat there, watching the tabby play about on his desk with a hopeless smile, until he frowned slightly. Tilting his head, he tugged a slip of paper out from under the tabby who batted at it.  
  
It was a brochure for LOVELESS.  
  
Then Reeve had an idea.   
  
Sephiroth’s friends - the two Banorans he followed around like a puppy. Perhaps they...  
  
Reeve rolled his eyes at the comparison, and picked up the phone to call Deusericus.  
  
He expected the man to just laugh, but in actuality - Lazard wasn’t surprised when Reeve explained his predicament, and neither were Genesis or Angeal when the message was passed down the line. Going to Sephiroth about it was pointless, the teenager would just deny it and disappear like a ghost. He hated feeling like he was being watched, and his two friends knew this all too well.  
As such, after their rather amusing meeting with Lazard, the two Second Classes sat in the break room and tried to think of a way to solve everyone’s problem.  
  
“I could just set Hojo on fire.” Genesis suggested.   
  
“I know we’re trying to encourage Sephiroth," Angeal closed his eyes, already suffering, "but that’s _not_ what I meant.”  
  
The redhead sighed dramatically, “You never let me have any fun with him.”  
  
Angeal's eyes opened, staring hard, “I worry for him with you around.”  
  
The two bickered lightly for another few minutes until their phones beeped. It was a mission statement from the Department for another deployment to Wutai.   
Genesis suddenly clicked his fingers, delight on his face, almost jumping from his seat. 

“I’ve had an epiphany!”

Scepticism crossed Angeal’s face, “I dread it already.”

Genesis grunted, and grabbed Angeal’s arm, “Come with me you negative dolt. We have a truck to steal and strings for Lazard to pull!”

**

_Years later…_

After knocking twice and receiving no answer, Cloud opened the door of the tiny house, and was greeted with about thirty or so contented cats.

He blinked before looking over at Yuffie, “Why does Wutai have a house full of cats?”


End file.
